State auditor releases report on New Bedford Housing Authority

NEW BEDFORD — A report from the state auditor's office identified several areas where the New Bedford Housing Authority has "management deficiencies."

NEW BEDFORD — A report from the state auditor’s office identified several areas where the New Bedford Housing Authority has “management deficiencies.”

The agency did not accurately report benefits including a leased car and life insurance to its executive director, Steven Beauregard, and did not keep an adequate inventory of its state-owned furniture and equipment, according to the report.

“The Authority paid fringe benefits to its executive director but did not report the applicable amount for these benefits as required” on his 2012 tax forms, the report said.

On inventory issues, the report said “the Authority was not performing a physical inventory annually; items that had been disposed of remained on the current inventory record,” among other inventory irregularities.

in 2012 state auditor’s office said in a statewide audit of rent determination, tenant selection and vacant units at local housing authorities that the NBHA “had excessive delays in preparing vacant units for occupancy” and could have lost $153,934 in potential rental income. This time, the latest report said there was a rental income loss of just $11,199 for the 15-month audit period.

-JONATHAN CARVALHO

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